I can sing you the chorus of that old Billy Crockett song, "Christ in Me....The Hope of Glory..." catchy little tune.  Do you remember it?
Well, I sang it a long time, and I guess I read it too.  According to Jim, the phrase "in Christ or in the Lord" occurs 164 times in Paul's epistles.  You would have thought I would have "gotton it", but I didn't.  It took a while, but I grasp the concept now, Jane, in whom Christ dwells.  My little queendom runs much smoother with His power and principles.  As I am aware that He is in me, guiding me in each and every move.  Transformation is such a powerful thing.  You have seen your players transform and its fun to participate in their life transformation. But to truly understand this concept and be transformed by Him completely changes your life (and certainly how you view coaching).

• I can vividly remember a time in my Christian walk when I was losing the battle with sin.  My effort to address this and be who I wanted to be, just didn't work. So I could relate well to Carey's story...can you?
• Sit for 5 minutes and contemplate , "Christians are people Christ dwells in." How does that make you feel? What does it mean to you?
• As ones "indwelt by Christ" we are not under the law; but we know that everything is not beneficial for us. Our choices are made in light of who we are, and they do not define us. How does this truth change how you look at your day?
• Dallas Willard once told me a story about when he cared what people would think about one of his messages. He understood that this wasn't Christ-like, and he admitted it rarely happened like this. But when it did, he asked me why? Of course I didn't answer, as its always better to hear him.  He replied he felt this, "because my flesh is not dead." That is what Jim writes about in his concept of sin remains but must not reign.  As christians, we are not immune to sin, but we must always understand its power has been broken. What does this mean to you and your life?
• Reread John 15:1-5.  Jim writes, "to abide means to rest in and rely on Jesus, who is not outside of us, judging us, but is inside of
  us, empowering us." Read Matthew 11:40 and Phillippians 4:13.  Connect the dots...(:
• Country dogs and city dogs -- one of my favorite images.  Have the rules of Christianity made you restless or bitter? That is not how He wants us to live in His Kingdom.  Contrast that to the image of the vine and the branches.  Which is the life you want?
• I am an introverted extrovert! Maybe some of you are, too.  When I committed to the discipline of solitude, and learned that being alone is not loneliness, I became a better kingdom coach. Yes, its one of the hardest to do for a coach who has players and people around lots of the time, but I encourage you to really work on this discipline.  It will help transform your life.

We are coming to the end of this book.  Remember, Jim has written 2 more.  The second in the series is "The Good and Beautiful Life".  Lets decide if we want to move forward and continue growing with Jim's direction.  I"ll be glad to keep on leading. I'm hopeful we can have more interaction. Step it up, kingdom coaches.  Let's get to know one another more!

Happy July 4th.  Count your freedoms.